Maestro Carlo Ponti Brings Transformative Musical Magic to the Lives of Thousands of Children

By Aura Imbarus, Ph.D.

Carlo Ponti Jr, Sophia Loren's eldest son, is best known for being a prolific Italian orchestra conductor and is the founder of the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra (LAV).

Born in Switzerland, Carlo and his two great children reside in the United States.

From 1994 to 1996, Carlo worked at the Conductor’s Institute in Connecticut. In 1999, he relocated to Austria to further his musical studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, which he graduated from in 2001. From 2000 to 2018, he was the associate conductor of the Russian National Orchestra. He also served as music director and principal conductor of California’s San Bernardino Symphony for 12 years until 2013, when he founded the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra, as its artistic and music director. LAV is an orchestra of professional musicians dedicated to the advocacy and support of music education. Its mission is to serve as a catalyst in supporting music education through collaborative partnerships with the community, schools, agencies, and other arts organizations, and by allocating 100% of net income from performances to support and develop the study of music, envisioning a "world in which every young person has access to music education."

1. If you were to go down memory lane all the way to your childhood, what would be your best memory?

I was born in Geneva, Switzerland but am genetically 100% Italian!

My fondest memories of childhood are sitting in my house’s living room in Paris, where my family and I were living when I was around 8 years old, and listening to recordings of orchestral masterworks by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky with my parents and my brother Edoardo, all vehement Classical music fans!

2. Both of your parents are icons of cinematography, known in each and every country on this planet. Which one do you relate to a little more to, or have related more to in your childhood?

I honestly find it difficult to tackle such a question, it is akin to asking if Mozart or Beethoven is a better composer, the answer obviously is neither as they are both geniuses in their own right which have shaped the development of Western music in unprecedented ways. The same, I think, applies to my parents: my mother and father both shaped my life and career aspirations in their own unique way, instilling the importance of dedication, passion and commitment equally significantly.

3. What is one thing that you have loved while growing up that you are passing on to your own children?

As I mentioned before, my parents always prioritized the importance of hard work, dedication and the pursuit of excellence, both in everyday life and professional aspirations. These are philosophies I try to pass on to my two children Vittorio and Beatrice, who might I add are coming along very well as a pianist and violinist respectively!

4. Is there a point in your life when the role of mentors was really important? Who were they and how did you connect with them?

Mentorship and teaching are crucial activities I have always given a strong importance to in my career, as I feel giving back to the community and imparting the study of music are of paramount significance to younger generations.

My most significant musical mentor was the late Maestro Mehli Mehta, legendary conductor Zubin Mehta’s father. He was an incredible musician, conductor and teacher, and founder of the American Youth Symphony Orchestra, one of the preeminent youth orchestras in the United States, and an important stepping stone for young musicians performing in the best professional orchestras in the world.

I don’t think I could be the artist and musician I am today without Maestro Mehli Mehta’s musical guidance and teachings.

5. Music is made by the silence between the musical notes. How old were you when music became your muse?

I started my musical career as a pianist at the relatively old age of 9 years old. My father must, however, be credited for directing my way towards the profession of conducting. He always lauded orchestral conducting as being one of the most beautiful artistic activities, and I think he secretly would have wanted to be a conductor had he had enough musical aptitude!

6. When was the first time you performed in public?

The first time I performed in public was as pianist in Paris, France in the famous Salle Gaveau when I was 9 years old, shortly after starting on the piano.

Still being rather short at that age, I remember not being able to reach the piano’s pedals at the end of the piece I played, a minuet by Ludwig van Beethoven, to the amusement of many audience members!

7. From the struggles you have encountered, which one do you remember the most and how did you overcome it? What kind of a recommendation would you give to kids or adults dealing with the same issue?

A common challenge I still encounter is to have to live up to my parents’ legacy of fame and excellence which I am quite grateful for because it always pushes me to give my best and to strive to attain the highest level of competence.

High expectations can sometimes be positive for any young student as they engender the pursuit of excellence, and impart dedication and hard work to achieve the former.

8. How and why did you create LAV? What was the idea or the flame that ignited the desire to give back to the younger generation?

As I said before, I have always been a strong advocate and supporter of young musical talent and felt the need to create a unique ensemble to advocate and support the study of music.

The Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra envisions a world in which every young person has access to music education.

This ensemble is indeed unique because it was formed on the core belief that an orchestra is a unique educational resource.

LAV's mission is to serve as a catalyst in supporting music education through collaborative partnerships with the community, schools, agencies, and other arts organizations, and by allocating 100% of net income from performances to support and develop the study of music.

9. What projects do you have lined up for LAV and how can people or schools partner up with it?

With the funds collected from LAV's past concerts, several of our partner schools were able to purchase new musical instruments, method books and other musical equipment and supplies, enabling them to dramatically expand their music education programs and touch all the more lives through music education.

I am proud to announce that through our family of sponsors’generous support we have been able to further develop and strengthen our educational outreach at our partner schools in various significant ways.

These include implementing violin instruction classes taught by LAV musicians using instruments purchased with funds generated from our performances, exposing the students to the orchestra’s activities, such as attending rehearsals and performances, and directly integrating student ensembles in selected LAV concerts, giving the students an unparalleled educational experience by working with our professional musicians.

LAV selects partner schools and young soloists and composers to partner with every season, these are selected through an audition process determining the school’s effectiveness and dedication to arts based curriculums and young artists’ musical abilities and dedication to their craft.

10. Do you often go back to Europe?

I often go to Geneva, Switzerland, which is a family hub as my mother has made the city her home for many years. In addition, both me, my brother and all our children were born there, so it is a place we all cherish and hold dear to our hearts.

***Sophia Loren and sons Edoardo and Carlo***

11. What kind of projects do you have with mother and your brother that we should be aware of?

My brother Edoardo, a film director, and my mother have just completed a wonderful film called The Life Ahead, released and currently streaming on Netflix to worldwide acclaim.

A wish of mine is to someday collaborate with Edoardo in the production of an opera in which I could conduct the music and he assume the direction of.

12. What changes have you made in your personal and professional space/life after the pandemic hit us?

At the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra, we remain carefully attuned to the concerns posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting our events to conform to any circumstantial necessities currently in effect in Los Angeles. As of late, this has required us to cast a reduced number of musicians in a socially distanced setup employing several protective measures that are put in effect at performances to comply with local safety regulations. Even though myself and our musicians are very much looking forward to again performing for live audiences when circumstances permit us to do so, we have been very excited to be able to share performances in livestreamed format without a live audience, the silver lining of which has been that it has enabled us to connect with an even greater bandwidth of audiences due to international streaming, raising even more awareness of the importance of music education, and showcasing its’ benefits across borders.

Please visit the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra website.

Dr. Aura Imbarus is an awarded educator, freelance journalist, motivational speaker, and author of the critically acclaimed Amazon best-seller and Pulitzer Prize entry, Out of the Transylvania Night: A Story of Tyranny, Freedom, Love and Identity (Bettie Youngs Books, 2010), a memoir detailing her life in Romania during the Communist regime, and an upcoming self-help book, Conversations with the Past: A Journey Home (Rainbow Ridge Books, Sept 2020). She was featured on NBC, ABC, CNBC, Good Morning San Diego, Forbes Romania, etc.

She is also the president and founder of See Beyond Media, a company focusing on adolescents’ challenges in the 21st century, having as its launching platform See Beyond Magazine (www.seebeyondmag.com) and of Raw and Real with Leo and Aura podcast, where on a light and humorous tone she is examining and dissecting social issues. Dr. Imbarus is a licensed clinical hypnotherapist, having trained with Dr. Brian Weiss and Dr. Wanita Holmes.

She sits on the Advisory Board of CA Ballet, is a member of Royal Society of St. George, SACC – Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce; she is also one of the founding members of RACC – Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce, CA.

In her free time she is taking ballroom dancing. She loves car racing, skiing, yoga, sailing and traveling.